


Family

by omphale23



Category: due South
Genre: Community: ds_snippets, Gen, Snippets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-14
Updated: 2010-03-14
Packaged: 2017-10-08 00:09:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/70684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/omphale23/pseuds/omphale23
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She aired out the spare linens, bought peanut butter, found a pair of Robert's old pajamas. She cleared a space for any books he might bring along.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to **kristiinthedark** for the fastest beta I've ever seen!

When Caroline died, Martha sighed and replaced the couch with a narrow bed. She aired out the spare linens, bought peanut butter, found a pair of Robert's old pajamas. She cleared a space for any books he might bring along.

With Robert gone most of the time there wasn't much of a choice. Fostering the boy out would send him south and Robert stubbornly refused to see his son raised in a city, growing up with strangers. George agreed, and so it was decided.

Still, Martha refused to rearrange their lives completely. He was just one small boy, and it hadn't done Robert any harm to grow up knowing the world didn't revolve around him. When Benton arrived, dragging a filthy stuffed dog with him and chewing at his lip, Martha put him to work sorting his belongings into those that were useful and those that would be given away.

Martha had always believed that one should begin as one meant to continue and she refused to coddle anyone's child. She'd years of overindulgence to undo.

It was only late at night that Martha would sit next to Benton's cot, stroking his hair as she stared into the past, wondering whether the boy would remember Caroline at all.

As Benton grew, turned into first a silent, awkward boy and later a mulish teenager with overlong hair hanging in his eyes most days, she was sure there was too much of his mother in him, too many angry outbursts and squinting, appraising glances.

Martha would never breathe a word of it, but she was relieved when Benton left for Depot. The RCMP would straighten him out, teach him responsibility and a respect for authority. She didn't cry when he hoisted his bag and climbed into the plane. He didn't look back.


End file.
